(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cosmetic applicator which is excellent in a stability of discharging a liquid cosmetic and excellent as well in a stability of a liquid cosmetic with the passage of time and which makes it easy to observe the end of consuming the liquid cosmetic regardless of whether or not an inside of a reservoir is visible and whether or not a coating part is a ballpoint pen type.
(2) Description of Related Art
A device for redispersing the pigment has so far been indispensable in an applicator in which a cosmetic having a low viscosity and containing a pigment is filled and held. That is, it is a device in which a stirrer such as a stirring ball, a stirring rod and the like is charged into a reservoir of a cosmetic, wherein the whole applicator is shaken until the stirrer sounds sufficiently moving around when a pigment contained therein is concerned to settle down after it is not used for a long period of time, whereby the pigment can be redispersed (refer to, for example, JP-A 1993-7822 (claims, examples, FIG. 1 and the like)).
Also, the tip of the above applicator is provided with a coating tip of a so-called ballpoint pen type in which a ball is continued to be pressed forward in a ball holder, and it is structured so that when this pressing is released, a liquid cosmetic filled in a reservoir comes out by replacing with air. The problems that a cosmetic oozes out from the tip of the applicator when the cosmetic has a low viscosity and that such a large amount of the cosmetic as unintended comes out when pressing is released are involved in the above system.
Disclosed by the present applicant isn applicator of a mechanism in which in place of the mechanism of discharging the cosmetic by replacing with air in the applicator described above, provided are a ballpoint pen tip comprising a ball and a ball holder at the tip of a cylindrical reservoir, a cosmetic and a stirrer in a reservoir, and a liquid follower at the rear of the cosmetic, wherein a space formed by the cosmetic oozed is supplemented by movement of the follower (refer to, for example, JP-A 2007-272 (claims, examples, FIG. 1 and the like)). In the applicator of the above mechanism, it is likely that the stirring ball sinks into the soft follower when shaken, and therefore a stopping member is provided between the cosmetic and the follower to prevent the stirring ball from sinking thereinto.
Further, an applicator in which a cosmetic itself is gelatinized (provided with s structural viscosity) without installing a stirrer to make stirring unnecessary and in which a follower is provided to set up a mechanism close to a so-called gel ink ballpoint pen (refer to, for example, JP-A 2001-340131 (claims, examples, FIG. 1 and the like)). In the applicator of the above mechanism, a float (following auxiliary member) is inserted from a rear of the follower in order to endure a falling impact when the applicator falls with a back turning downward, but involved therein is the problem that when an accident in which the float is brought into contact with the wall surface of the cylindrical reservoir is brought about, air is allowed to get in to cause a concern on an aging stability of the cosmetic.